The Dems have been raising hell, wanting Trump to do something about gun control. However, they don’t want him to use executive actions. Instead, they want it to be worked through the constitutional system. Enter Mitch McConnell. He’s been given the green light to talk about gun legislation on the Senate floor, ensuring that there are new gun laws in place to prevent further domestic terrorism.

With the number of domestic terrorist attacks that happened over the summer alone, it’s clear that something has to be done. While the Dems want to take away guns, the Republicans want to focus on mental health and background checks to determine who should be able to purchase guns. Compromise can be made, but it all comes down to what McConnell is going to propose and how willing the Dems are to actually agree on something.

Before Any Proposals Happen…

Mitch McConnell has reported that, prior to heading to the Senate floor, the White House is reviewing a variety of proposals. By next week, Trump will identify which proposals he is willing to back. At that point, McConnell will take the proposals to the floor. By waiting on Trump, it makes it easier to know exactly where the president stands on gun legislation while also ensuring that something will, in fact, get passed.

With so many Americans wanting to see gun control legislation in one form or another, it is critical that Congress focuses on gun control legislation before anything else now that they are back in session.

Stricter Gun Laws are a Given

One thing for sure is that there are going to be stricter gun laws in one capacity or another. There has been a significant amount of public outcry. Various stores have taken it upon themselves to do something. For example, Walmart has identified that they will stop selling handgun ammunition. Congress already knows that they are facing a significant amount of pressure.

One of the main areas of discussion is what’s known as red flag laws. It would allow law enforcement officials or family members to petition a court so that firearms would be taken from an individual if they are a threat to themselves or others. Democrats don’t feel that is sufficient – and while Republicans are working on plenty of other proposals, they don’t support mandatory buyback programs, removing guns from Americans who acquired them legally. A number of Democratic presidential candidates have elaborate buyback plans that they’re touting as the solution to domestic terrorism. However, Republicans identify that mental health is a huge component – and those who are mentally ill will find a gun whether it is through legal acquisition or not.

Schumer, the Senate minority leader, is calling for McConnell to bring the house bill to the floor. Schumer tends to Tweet more than he actually speaks. He wants to focus on background checks, which is something that the house has already passed.

Another discussion going on is a bipartisan bill that would expand background checks to include all commercial sales. Although the bill has failed in the Senate twice, it may get enough Republican support to pass if brought to the floor a third time.

Ted Cruz, a Republican senator from Texas, is also requesting that the Senate passes his bill, which would increase funding for the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database. This would also allow them to focus more heavily on mental health.

The Democrats are trying to play politics on too much of the gun safety legislation, which is something that Cruz has accused them of. They are looking to regulate private transactions, which isn’t going to reduce gun violence. The only thing that does is appease the take money backers of the Democrats. Too many of the presidential candidates are embracing mandatory federal government confiscation, which only takes guns away from law-abiding citizens. The law-abiding citizens aren’t the ones responsible for a mass shooting. Law-abiding citizens don’t commit domestic terrorism. This is something that the Democrats don’t seem to understand – and something that Republicans are extremely aware of, which is why they are taking their time to make sure that they are passing the correct laws.

As Trump explained, most of the background checks that the Democrats want to pass would not stop any of the shootings that have occurred over the past several years. Most of the people responsible for the mass shootings got their hand on a gun illegally. It isn’t something that they obtained via a background check or a waiting period.

Within the next week or so, more information about how the Congress will be moving towards gun control will be evident, especially with McConnell’s plans to take discussions to the Senate floor.